Post-School Success and Partnerships Manager

The Pharo Foundation (the ''Foundation'') is a privately-funded entrepreneurial organisation that runs philanthropic programmes as well as for-profit social enterprises. The vision of the Foundation is an economically vibrant and inclusive Africa. The mission is to achieve this vision by investing in the human and physical capital of Africa, with an emphasis on education and economic development.

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Post-School Success and Partnerships Manager to lead the strategic development and implementation of our post-school success agenda. This role is pivotal in ensuring that students successfully transition from secondary school into higher education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, and employment pathways. The Manager will be responsible for increasing university placements, expanding scholarship and financial aid opportunities, securing third-party funding for student support, and building strong partnerships with universities, donors, employers, and funding institutions. Working closely with Scholarship Coordinators, school leadership teams, and external partners, the Manager will remove financial and systemic barriers that prevent students from accessing and succeeding in post-secondary opportunities.

This role extends beyond university admissions to include ongoing student success, retention, and graduation support, ensuring that students thrive throughout their post-secondary journey and contribute meaningfully to their communities and countries.

Key Responsibilities

Post-School Success Strategy and Programme Leadership

Develop and implement a comprehensive Post-School Success Strategy across the Pharo Schools network. Design and strengthen pathways into university, TVET, entrepreneurship, employment, apprenticeships, and other post-secondary opportunities. Establish systems, processes, and support structures that improve students' transition beyond secondary school. Monitor post-school outcomes, analyse trends, and implement interventions to improve student success. Develop a robust data collection, monitoring, and reporting framework.

University Partnerships and Student Placement

Build and manage strategic partnerships with universities across Africa and internationally. Increase the number and quality of university placements secured annually. Negotiate scholarships, tuition support, fee waivers, accommodation assistance, priority admissions, and other partnership benefits. Develop strong relationships with admissions, financial aid, and university leadership. Coordinate university visits, partnership agreements, recruitment events, university fairs, and application support initiatives.

Scholarship Development and External Funding

Develop and implement a diversified scholarship funding strategy. Secure external funding through scholarships, grants, corporate sponsorships, donor programmes, foundations, and innovative education financing. Build strategic relationships with philanthropic organisations, development partners, corporate sponsors, alumni, and high-net-worth donors. Lead funding proposals and establish sustainable scholarship funding models that reduce reliance on internal resources.

Student Success and University Retention

Monitor student progress, wellbeing, retention, and graduation outcomes. Build systems for ongoing engagement with students and partner institutions. Identify risks affecting student success and coordinate timely support interventions. Develop mentoring, alumni engagement, and student support programmes while maintaining accurate student records.

Scholarship Management and Sustainability

Strengthen scholarship management, compliance, and monitoring systems in collaboration with Scholarship Coordinators. Oversee scholarship agreements and develop sustainable graduate contribution or repayment models where appropriate. Track graduate engagement and repayment commitments while ensuring scholarship programmes remain equitable, transparent, and financially sustainable.

Stakeholder and Partnership Management

Serve as the primary relationship manager for strategic post-school success partners. Represent Pharo Foundation at universities, conferences, donor engagements, and education forums. Build partnerships with governments, scholarship agencies, employers, and international education networks to expand internship, mentorship, and employment opportunities.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

Develop KPIs and monitor university placements, scholarships secured, funding raised, student retention, graduation, employment outcomes, and scholarship sustainability. Produce reports for senior leadership and donors and use insights to continuously improve programme performance.

Profile Sought

Essential

Bachelor's degree in Education, International Development, Public Policy, Business, Higher Education Administration, or a related field. At least five years' experience in university admissions, scholarship management, higher education partnerships, fundraising, donor engagement, or student success programmes. Demonstrated success in building strategic partnerships and securing grants, scholarships, sponsorships, or donor funding. Experience working with universities or higher education institutions.

Desirable

Master's degree in a relevant discipline. Experience working across Africa or within international education systems. Knowledge of global scholarship programmes and higher education financing models. Experience managing alumni engagement initiatives.

Key Competencies

Strategic thinking and programme design, partnership development and stakeholder management, fundraising and resource mobilisation, negotiation and influencing, data analysis and reporting, student-centred problem solving, financial and commercial acumen, cross-cultural communication, project and programme management, results orientation and accountability.

Success Measures (First 2–3 Years)

The successful candidate will: increase university placements across the Pharo Schools network; secure strategic university partnerships that expand scholarships and financial aid opportunities; establish a diversified external scholarship funding portfolio; increase third-party funding for scholarships and post-school success programmes; improve student retention and graduation rates; develop a sustainable scholarship contribution or repayment framework; build a strong alumni engagement ecosystem; position the Post-School Success Programme as a leading model for educational access and social mobility across Pharo Schools.

Personal Attributes

Passionate about equitable, high-quality education and student success. Strategic, innovative, and forward-thinking with a commitment to continuous improvement. Collaborative and able to build trusted partnerships across diverse stakeholders. Adaptable, resilient, and comfortable leading change in complex environments. Student-centred, evidence-driven, and results-oriented. Entrepreneurial with strong commercial awareness and a focus on scalable impact. Demonstrates integrity, professionalism, and sound judgement. Committed to advancing African education and expanding opportunities for young people.

Method of Application

Interested and qualified? Go to The Pharo Foundation on hris.peoplehum.com to apply. Build your CV for free. Download in different templates.

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